One handed computer backlight operation?

[Heffey]

Ok, seriously, I have to ask. What is the deal?

In numerous posts over the years, people have made comments about not wanting a computer without a backlight because they would have to shine their light on it during night dives and then two hands would be needed to do that.

Now, when I dive I have my light is in my right hand, my computer is on my left wrist and I check my gauge console with my left hand. When I want to read my computer it is literally inches away from where my light is shining. My right hand will be holding my light whether I need to check my gauges or not and my left hand will be involved in keeping my console pulled in tight when not checking gauges.
Both hands busy no matter what.

What am I missing?

Is a backlight equipped computer really easier to use on a night dive than a computer with no backlight?

What are they/you doing with this other hand?

Are you a backlight user or a light flasher?

 

[Rick Inman]

I have a back light on one of my bottom timers, but I don't use it. It's habit just to take a quick glance while I move my right arm a few inches into the beem.

 

[seaducer]

For me it is different whether it is a photo dive or not. I wear my computer on my right wrist, watch as always on my left. When I have my camera I carry my light in my left and can shine onto the computer, but I like to carry the light with my right hand when I do not have my camera and so the backlight comes in handy then.

Once I had to lead a new diver on a low on air free ascent, I set my light to stay on so I could monitor my ascent without the need to listen for an alarm, and use my light to monitor the other guys air and show him my octo should he need it, check for surface objects and signal to the other divers in the group that we were going up.

I didn't have to have a backlight but in retrospect it made that situation a tad easier to deal with...

 

[BlueC5Kitten]

I know I have a backlight...just haven't had to really use it much. Mostly I just move my comp to within the range of the light to read it.

Guess I should read my manual again to figure out how to access the backlight again!

 

[spt29970]

The back light can be mighty useful. I was on a night dive recently on our local beaches when both my primary and secondary lights failed. I usually bring a third backup, but on this dive I had left it at home. Having a back light on the computer was the only way I could read it. Of course I was only in 20 ft of water, so the ascent was pretty easy. It nice to have, even if I don't use it too often.

I usually have a mask light which I use to read the computer. This allows "hands free" operation.

 

[Heffey]

Thanks, a couple of good points here.

I hadn’t considered the assisting another diver scenario.

Although I understand the light failure issue, it just would not happen with me as my redundancy plans have redundancy plans when it comes to my lighting. I am just plain paranoid about being left in the dark.

I did not even know that the backlights on computers had a always on setting……….go figure. Guess that really eats up the battery though.

 

[SteveAD]

My philosophy on this, as in so many other things, is it's better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it. I can't say that not having a backlight would ever stop me from buying an otherwise great computer, but no computer I have ever been interested in lacked that function.

 

[PM-Performance]

Ive tried both and both worked.
The only thing I can see is if maybe the light from the flashlight maybe drowns out the display? Other then that its all preference.
Honestly, I gotta hit the backlight button with my right hand anyway. So if the light is in my right hand, doesnt make anymore work to shine the light on it.

 

[Kevrumbo]

The future display is bottom timers/computers with OLED (Organic LED) Readouts, which don't need backlighting. . .

 

[TSandM]

Yes, I have Liquivision lust . . .

I find that, every once in a while, I have great difficulty getting my gauge into the penumbra of my light where it is readable. (Shining a 21W HID directly on a gauge makes it impossible to read.) Then the backlight has occasionally been useful. I'd love a continuous backlight option for cave diving, so I'd never have to move my light to read my gauge, because the less you move your light around in a cave, the happier your buddies are. But it drains the battery rather fast.